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Research

Imaging techniques developed by Dan Hunter and colleagues in the peripheral nerve lab have set a standard for quantitative analysis of regeneration.Over the past century, research has been an important focus of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery faculty at Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Vilray P. Blair, one of the founders of the plastic surgery specialty, joined the faculty in 1902. Blair not only became a leader in research — setting the standard for craniofacial construction and developing many new techniques — but also trained many plastic surgeons who made important contributions in the field.

Today, faculty members continue that tradition of excellence. Most recently, Dr. Susan E. Mackinnon, chief of the Division, performed the world’s first donor nerve transplant — a procedure that can save what were previously considered irreparably damaged limbs — and is moving ahead with research in that area.